Pneumonia can cause 111indium octreotide uptake.

An 18-year-old woman underwent an (111)In octreotide scan for evaluation of a possible insulinoma. This showed mildly increased radiopharmaceutical uptake involving the right lung base. The patient reported a productive cough for 5 days before the octreotide scan. A chest radiograph was taken, which showed increased airspace opacification in the right lower lobe, corresponding to the uptake seen on the octreotide scan. After a course of oral antibiotics, the patient's chest symptoms improved and the radiograph opacification resolved, confirming the diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia. This case stresses the need to correlate scan results with the patient's presentation and symptoms to avoid false-positive data.